Drive-thru light display in Lebanon spreads Christmas cheer

When his aunt gave a young Chad Barnard a string of Christmas lights, who knew that it would lead to 30-plus years of holiday light displays and an appearance on a network TV show?

But that’s exactly how this Lebanon, Tenn., resident got started down his path of local and national renown. It all started when 12-year-old Barnard was watching the annual installation of Christmas lights at the home of his aunt.

“My aunt said, ‘Why don’t you take some of these home and put them up,’” Barnard says.

Since 1982, neighbors, friends and passersby on a September day could find Barnard getting a start on constructing Chad’s Winter Wonderland. When he first started stringing lights at his family home on Old LaGuardo Road, locals would drive past for a look, but as word of mouth spread, Barnard’s display — and his fan base — grew. Barnard was featured in the local newspaper at age 15 and appeared on the ABC TV show The Great Christmas Light Fight in 2014.

Submitted
Chad Barnard, left, and celebrity judge Sabrina Soto during filming for “The Great Christmas Light Fight.” Barnard’s light display was featured on the TV show in 2014.(Photo: Submitted)

In recent years, Barnard estimates between 8,000 and 10,000 cars have driven through his seasonal display each year. Barnard thinks part of the appeal of his display is the traditional style of decorations he uses.

“You may see something you recall from your house growing up — something that you thought you might never see again,” says Barnard.

Barnard bills his display as having 2 million lights, though he concedes it may be closer to a million and a half. But who’s counting, really? When you’re driving through Chad’s Winter Wonderland on a crisp December night, it’s all about the magic and the experience.

“I have Santa every night and a drive-through Santa’s workshop,” says Barnard. “And there’s ‘Dancing Frosty’ in a snowman suit out there entertaining the masses.”

Over the years, a few things have changed. At some point, he added a nativity with live animals.

One year in the mid 1990s, he leased property across the street and sold Christmas trees. These days Barnard sells seasonal tees and “those light-up necklaces that look like Christmas lights.”

Originally the light display was a free drive-by attraction, but Barnard found that visitors wanted to drive through his light menagerie for a closer look, so he redesigned his layout to accommodate.

Of course, all those lights need electricity.

“Problem is, you don’t have a lot of outside plugs,” Barnard notes. “As I went on, I had to add an electrical service.”

Barnard also tries to add something new to the display each year. Last year, he bought out an existing display from a seller in Sevierville.

“Every year, people drive by and ask, ‘What’s new,’” he says, noting that he is constantly working to “change things up.”

And he’s been working on converting his display to LED lights, which use significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs and can reduce electrical costs.

“I’m hoping this year I’ll see a difference,” Barnard says of his electric bill.

Chad Barnard stands in front of a portion of his 800,000 Christmas lights in 2003.(Photo: TN File Photo)

And there have been a few mishaps over the years. There was the year Barnard had live sheep.

“People were trying to get out and pet the sheep,” he says. “And cars got backed up onto the highway.”

Then there was the year that panic ensued — for Barnard, at least — when a transformer went out, leaving portions of the display dark.

“I told people I had a power outage — I would tell them before they paid — and they would come on in anyway,” says Barnard.

There is one thing about Chad’s Winter Wonderland that hasn’t changed: Barnard’s passion for the project.

“It’s just something I was born to do. I love Christmas, I love the spirit of Christmas. I’ve always enjoyed doing this,” he says.

While the $15 charge per car helps to defray the cost of the display and gets reinvested in purchasing new lights and displays, Barnard also uses some of the money to give back to the community. This is the third year that Barnard has used proceeds from the display to purchase bikes for children in the county school system.

While Barnard was not the winner of The Great Christmas Light Fight, judging from the crowds that flock to see his lights year after year, it appears that Chad’s Winter Wonderland is still a winner with the thousands of visitors who come to see the magic every year.